Every life has its share of hardship, and yet we persevere. Every society encounters disaster, yet we survive. Some people press on stubbornly, ignoring the crumbling world around them. Some people craft rituals to build order out of chaos. Others look internally, trying first to make sense of their own minds before addressing the larger picture. In this uplifting program of short films, tragic situations bring beauty to the foreground, and passion leads to salvation.

- Mark Elijah Rosenberg

THE FILMS

The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (Lucy Walker | USA | 39 min.)Survivors from Japan's recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins. A stunning visual poem about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan's most beloved flower. This Academy Award nominated documentary was supported by the Rooftop Filmmakers’ Fund.

THE FUSE: OR HOW I BURNED SIMON BOLIVAR (Igor Drljača | Bosnia | 9 min.)Personal home movies follow how a young boy's attempts to avoid a bad grade in school in 1990's Sarajevo may have contributed to a civil war.

I BEAT MIKE TYSON (Joshua Z. Weinstein | USA | 14 min.)In 2005, an unknown Irish boxer shocked the world, beating Mike Tyson. Then he disappeared. Rooftop alum Weinstein rediscovers Kevin McBride in a gritty Boston suburb, his body deteriorating, compulsively fighting on. This lyrical film finds a boxer at the end of his career, engaging in the Sisyphean task that is his life.

TRYPPS #6 (MALOBI) (Ben Russell | 10 min.)From the Maroon village of Malobi in Suriname, this hypnotic single-take film moves into and out of a mysterious ritual. Deliberately offering no explanation, the film lets the viewer imagine their own meanings. It’s Halloween at the Equator, Andrei Tarkovsky for the jungle set.

Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.